Video conference hearing deemed valid

The Sex Offender Registry Board did not commit an error by holding a classification hearing by way of video conferencing, the Appeals Court has ruled.

The sex offender who was the subject of the hearing argued on appeal that the Board violated its regulatory and statutory authority and his due process rights.

But the Appeals Court disagreed.

“The board’s conducting [John] Doe’s final classification hearing both while Doe was incarcerated and via video conference did not violate any of Doe’s constitutional or statutory rights,” Judge Scott L. Kafker concluded for a unanimous panel. “Accordingly, the board’s decision classifying Doe as a level three sex offender is affirmed.”